Technical Field
The inventions relate to apparatus and methods for multi-mode optical communication.
Discussion of the Related Art
This section introduces aspects that may facilitate a better understanding of the inventions. Accordingly, the statements of this section are to be understood in this light and are not to be understood as admissions about what is prior art or what is not prior art.
In recent years, optical propagation mode-multiplexing has been studied as a method for providing optical communication. In optical propagation mode-multiplexing, a set of orthonormal optical propagating modes of a multi-mode optical fiber carries data between an optical transmitter and an optical receiver. The set includes orthonormal modes with different lateral intensity and/or phase profiles. Since different optical propagating modes may be used to carry different data streams, a multi-mode optical fiber has a potential to support a higher data transmission rate than a single mode optical fiber where the data transmission rate is measured on a per-fiber and a per-wavelength-channel basis.